Not all “ground work” is created equal. Gently undulating ground, hills, poles, lunge work can all be great to help a sound and able bodied horse develop strength without the weight of a rider. If and only if the horse is being worked in a useful posture. When the skeleton works with the soft tissue in good alignment they can help each other. Skeletal alignment allows the muscles ligaments and tendons to move freely and develop strength. When the skeleton is worked out of alignment we get falling in, falling out, upside down necks and hollow backs. All of a sudden the 2 systems work against each other and desperately seek compensatory measures to stop the horse from losing balance (and falling over!!). Too much work done while using these compensatory measures create muscle soreness, joint degeneration, anxiety and fatigue.
Ways to help the horse work in good posture when cross training.
- Slow down, make sure they can maintain good posture and balance in slower gaits before adding speed.
- Simplify the work, a larger circle, more straight lines, flatter ground, slow down.
- Shorter sessions to reduce fatigue.
- Go back to the previous exercise and build more consistency in posture and strength before pushing onto the next thing.
Remember a horse is just a big body much like ours. It takes time and consistency to develop strength balance and a good capacity for self carriage. Can you decide to start jogging one week and then be ready for a half marathon piggy backing your mate the following week? Of course not. Don’t expect too much of your horse too quickly. Take the time it takes 🦄
Written by India Woods – Valmont Farms 2020